©Michael Player
Chapter 41:11-42:6 (ESV) - But when Johanan the son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, they took all their men and went to fight against Ishmael the son of Nethaniah. They came upon him at the great pool that is in Gibeon. And when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces with him, they rejoiced. So all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites. Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces with him took from Mizpah all the rest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam—soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs, whom Johanan brought back from Gibeon. And they went and stayed at Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem, intending to go to Egypt because of the Chaldeans. For they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the LORD your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— that the LORD your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your request, and whatever the LORD answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us. Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”
Question to consider: When faced with adversity, what was the difference between the attitude and actions of Johanan versus Zedekiah?
Doesn’t this scene seem familiar? Those who oppose the LORD cause a tremendous amount of pain, sorrow, and death, and then they flee before justice can come upon them. Those left behind are then forced to face the consequences of their actions.
Ishmael escaped to the Ammonites after killing the man appointed by Nebuchadnezzar to keep peace in Judah and wreaking havoc on those who were settled in the land. Now these people faced potential repercussions from Nebuchadnezzar, for one thing a world empire doesn’t abide is unrest in conquered territories.
They contemplated going to Egypt in an effort to escape whatever doom might await them. This sounds like something Zedekiah would have done, but given that Egypt did not come to their aid when they needed them most, they decided to seek counsel from the LORD through Jeremiah.
Of course, Zedekiah had done this as well, “King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, ‘Is there any word from the LORD?’” (Jeremiah 37:17) There were some differences however. Johanan and Jezaniah publicly recognized Jeremiah as the LORD’s prophet and did not meet with him in secret.
They had not already made up their mind about their course of action but actually inquired of the LORD to intercede for them and instruct them about His will for them. They also agreed to do whatever the LORD told them to do, regardless of whether the outcome would be good or bad for them. Zedekiah ultimately feared men more than the LORD so he was only interested in hearing the LORD bless the action he had already decided to take in his heart.
I wish there weren’t Ishmaels today doing harm in the name of the LORD and escaping worldly justice, but until the final judgment when satan and all his cohorts are cast into the lake of fire, we will continue to experience injustices like these. The question is whether we will be like Zedekiah who based his decisions on fear or Johanan and Jezaniah who trusted in the LORD to bring about His good will.
Dear heavenly Father, we pray for justice in this world, but as far as it depends on us, please help us to show mercy and bring about peace in the name of Christ. For we know that You are working out all things according to Your good plans and desire for all to repent and turn to Christ for their righteousness. Amen.